Classic Hero
by kenxepe
Summary: Definitely not the Jesus Christ Superman that's going to lead us to the light. This is the simple farm boy raised by good, God-fearing parents to do the right thing. He just happens to have super powers, and wears blue tights and a red cape. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Superman & I make no money from this fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1

Jumper

by Rhonnel Ferry

Noah Martinez has had enough of life. It has done nothing but torment him, plague him with horrible circumstances that are out of his control.

But he takes comfort, at least, in knowing that he will have the final say. Life will not decide how and when it will all end. He will! And standing on the rooftop ledge of the 33-story building he works in, Noah has decided that it all ends...now!

He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, spreads his arms wide like they are wings, leans forward and-

"Excuse me, sir?" a voice interrupts him.

The voice puzzles Noah. Partially because it hadn't come from the side of the rooftop behind him. Instead, the sound came from in front of him! In midair! His eyes flutter open, and the shock of what he sees nearly causes him to topple over the ledge and onto the street 33 stories below.

"You're Superman!" Noah gasps, regaining his balance.

"Yes, I am. And you are?" the floating man in the red cape asks.

"Uh...N-Noah! Noah Martinez!"

"Pleasure to meet you, Noah. Is this Kingsland?"

"Uh, no. You're in Princeville. If you wanna go to Kingsland, you have to take the bus to-" Noah pauses after realizing how silly his directions were. "You fly in that direction. Kingsland is behind Squire Super shopping mall. You can't miss it. They got this huge billboard of a hot chick holding a sword in a provocative... Well, anyway. You can't miss it."

"OK. Thanks," Superman says, then turns and flies away.

"Not bad," Noah thinks to himself. "Got to meet a god before I kill myself. Can't wait to tell mom. She'll freak. Oh, wait a minute. I can't tell her. I'll be dead. Well, maybe I can call her first. Nah, news like this, you gotta tell in person! Maybe I should wait one day before I kill myself. No! No, Noah! If you don't do this now, you'll chicken out! And then life will have you in its cruel clutches again."

Noah closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, spreads his arms wide like they are wings, leans forward and-

"Excuse me, Noah?" Superman interrupts him again.

"W-w-what-?"

"This might not be any of my business, but why do you keep doing that? I'm just curious. It's like you're reenacting that scene from Titanic-"

"You know what I'm doing," Noah grumbles. "And I know what you're doing, too. And you can forget it! You can't talk me out of it. And don't bother catching me either! I'll just squirm, kick, and struggle until you drop me! Go save someone who wants to be saved!"

"OK. But can you at least tell me why?"

"You wouldn't understand!" Noah shouts angrily. "How could you?! You can fly! You're invulnerable! You've got a six-pack! How can you possibly understand what we, flawed humans, go through everyday of our sorry lives!"

Superman is momentarily quiet.

"You're right," the man of steel finally answers solemnly. "No matter how hard I try, I never will truly understand what it feels to be one of you. Sorry to bother you."

Superman turns and flies away again.

This time, Noah breaks into tears and starts sobbing like a child.

After a while, and with much effort, he manages to steel himself. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, spreads his arms wide like they are wings, leans forward and-

"Excuse me, Noah?" Superman interrupts him yet again.

"WHAT?! GODDAMMIT!"

"You got a pen?"

"Wha-? A pen?!"

"Yeah, I mean, it's not like you're gonna need it where you're going, right?"

Noah takes the pen from his shirt pocket, and frustratingly hands it to Superman.

"And a piece of paper, please?" Superman asks politely.

"A piece of paper, too?"

"Yeah, well, it's not like I can carry one in this suit. I don't have a utility belt or anything."

"Wait, I think I got a receipt here somewhere..."

Noah fishes for the receipt in his jeans pocket.

"Here," he says, handing the crumpled piece of paper to Superman.

Superman scribbles something on the back of the receipt, then hands it back to Noah.

"What's this?" Noah asks.

"That's the number of a friend of mine. Tanisha Babatunde. Flawed human. Just like you. No super powers. Promise. Maybe she can understand what you're going through."

"Oh, what is this? One of those Suicide Prevention Helplines?" Noah asks, visibly irritated.

Suddenly Superman turns his head, like he is intently listening to something.

"OK, now I really do have to go," the last son of Krypton tells him urgently. "You know. Save someone who wants to be saved. Hope we can talk again sometime, Noah."

Then Superman speeds away.

Noah watches him, then looks at the crumpled piece of paper in his hand.

#

One year later, at his second floor apartment, Noah is tying his tie, while standing in front of a mirror. He is preparing for a night out with friends, when he hears a light tapping on glass. He walks over to the large window, and opens it to let the man of steel in.

"Hi. Come on in," he invites him.

"Thanks," Superman answers, floating inside. "Is this a bad time? You look like you're just about to head out."

"Just gonna go out for some drinks with the guys. You wanna come with?"

"I'll take a rain check on that."

"OK. Hey, I'm glad you dropped by. I've been wanting to tell you how sorry I am about all that stuff I told you on that rooftop a year ago."

"That's alright. You can make it up to me."

"I can?"

"Yeah. That's why I dropped by. Met this guy. Misha Alexeyev. Think maybe you could talk to him for me?"

"What is he, a jumper?"

"No. Tried to overdose."

"Sure. Have him call me."

"Appreciate it," Superman says, floating back out the window.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you," Noah calls after him. "You save the planet from alien invaders, evil robots, and mad scientists every other day of the week. Why do you bother helping losers like me?"

Superman looks at Noah like the man is crazy.

"Because it feels good," the Kryptonian answers plainly. "Come on, doesn't it feel good when you help people?"

Noah laughs, "Yeah. Yeah, I guess it does."

Superman smiles back, "Hope we can talk again sometime, Noah." Then he turns and flies away.

END


	2. Bully

Bully

by Rhonnel Ferry

"It's interesting, actually," Xie Chung tells Superman. "That society has changed so much,...and yet even today, the true worth of a real man...is still measured by his strength. Not his wealth, not his success,...definitely not his intelligence, I can attest to that, but his strength. We haven't evolved so far from our violent, club wielding, Neanderthal ancestors."

"That's a matter of opinion," Superman answers cautiously, as he scans the man on the floor at Chung's feet with his x-ray vision.

He is too late. Several fatal internal injuries, including shattered bones, damaged organs. This man was beaten, tortured to death. He died slowly and painfully at the hands of someone with considerable brawn.

Can't save everyone. This is a hard lesson Superman learned a long time ago. Doesn't stop him from trying, though.

"Who is he?" Superman asks Chung. "What could he have possibly done to deserve this?"

"His name is...well,...WAS...Danny. Office alpha male. Or so he thought he was. Oh, and he's also an ass."

"That's not a good enough reason."

"That would be a matter of opinion, too. You don't know what it's like to be tormented everyday at work! The fear you feel before entering the office? It's enough to make you want to throw up!"

"Actually, I do know what that feels like-"

"Liar! Superman? Bullied? Hah! Everyone knows you're the Justice League jock!"

"Yea, that's a misconception. Had to hold back my powers many times as a kid. Gave people the impression that I was weak. So yea, I got bullied a lot. It's emasculating. You're tempted to fight back, get even. And sometimes, you actually should. But not like this. This is too much."

"I don't think this is enough," Chung answers, admiring his work before him. "I wanted to take him to my basement, and torture him for days. I know how to keep a severely injured person alive for a very long time. But he died too soon. Guess I don't know my own strength," he laughs. "Oh wait a minute. I'm a scientist. Maybe I can make another kind of serum to temporarily bring him back to life. Beat him up some more."

"Another serum? You took something, didn't you?"

"Hah! You're not the big, dumb oaf people think you are. Well, I'm really not that surprised. You've had plenty of experience fighting mad scientists. But I didn't create a giant robot or a death ray gun. I'm more of a geneticist."

"Whatever you took is causing you to act so aggressively. That's why you did something so horrible. You're not thinking straight-"

"I've been thinking all my life!" Chung suddenly screams in anger. "That's all I've ever done! It's about time I finally took action! And I have that pulpy mass on the floor to thank. The serum was still in the experimental phase, untested, but he forced my hand. And it worked! For years, I've been obsessed with making myself stronger. But God chose to make me smart and weak."

"I wish I was smarter," Superman admits. "Then maybe I could talk you down. I wish I had the words to make you understand what you've done, and make you give yourself up peacefully. But God chose to make me strong."

Chung guffaws again. His body tenses, as he prepares to fight.

"You're gonna throw down with me, church boy?" he challenges the man of steel.

"Yea, that's another misconception. I dislike violence. But I don't shy from it."

And Superman throws a thunderous hook to the side of Chung's head!

Clark Kent grew up in the Midwest, a place where it is common to see a couple of boys roughhousing in the local bar parking lot. His adoptive parent, Jonathan Kent, fought in the war. So, while not a warrior by any means, like say his girlfriend, Diana, fighting is still very much a part of Superman's upbringing. It is in this environment that he learns to control his tremendous strength. For example, when he needs to be...intimate...with the more fragile human woman, or when he needs to pull his punches against, say, mobsters,...as he is pulling his punches in this case right now.

But to the Kryptonian's surprise, the human scientist took the punch very well.

"Is that it?" Chung asks mockingly.

And the scientist retaliates with a strong straight that sends the superhero crashing into the far wall.

"The ultimate test!" Chung celebrates. "My serum has made me stronger than even Superman!"

Dazed, Superman picks himself up from the rubble.

"This time,..." he tells himself, "...no holding back."

Chung's serum has made him incredibly strong, but it hasn't made him fast, at all. So he is unable to react in time, when his enemy suddenly vanishes from the debris, and reappears right in front of him!

Superman hits him with just one punch to the stomach, and Chung is completely winded. Breathless, he almost immediately loses consciousness, and the victor catches him as he collapses.

Superman gently lays him on the ground, right next to Danny, the late office bully.

Chung's frightened coworkers tentatively come out of hiding.

"It's OK now," Superman reassures them. "It's safe."

A distraught, young woman approaches the superhero.

"I don't understand how he could do something like this. It doesn't make any sense," she tells him. "Chung seemed like a really nice guy."

Superman answers somberly, "Maybe he once was."

END


	3. Villain

Villain

by Rhonnel Ferry & Richard Ferry

Another super villain. And honestly, I'm not sure how much more of them I can stomach. I know I'm supposed to see the good in everyone. It's how I was raised. Ma and Pa were very clear about that. They're right, of course. They're right about most things. And I do agree with them. I really do. I try. But sometimes,...I just get so mad.

For some reason, a lot of people seem to think that I am incapable of negative emotions such as anger. I don't know why they think that. Maybe it's the big blue boyscout image, or they think my alien physiology doesn't cover the complete set of emotions they have. Truth is, (and you'd be surprised by how many people would refuse to accept this) I'm actually more human than they think.

There's this new super villain. There seems to be a new one every week. Like I'm trapped in some bad villain of the week TV trope. I'm not even sure of this one's super villain name. Doctor Mechanical or Mechanical Woman? I don't know.

She's wearing some kind of high-tech battle armor. It helps her fly, shoot guided missiles. God knows what else.

She needs a lot of money for some top secret experiment she's been working on for most of her life. So how does she go about getting it? She attacks a cruise ship full of people! Families on vacation! There are children in there! But she just fires a missile from a launcher concealed in her armor's vambrace at the vessel's hull!

This! This blatant disregard for human life! This is what enrages me the most! And for what?! For money?!

The ship continues to sink, even as Doc...Machine, was it? Even as the Doctor and I slug it out in midair.

"You can't defeat me, Superman!" the Doctor brags, as she hits me in the mug with a powerful iron fist! "This armor is made from a special alloy of my own design! Crafted from a rare element that I myself discovered many years ago when I traveled to the ancient city of..."

She rambles on. They like doing that, super villains. They like doing that a lot. And in the most inappropriate times, too. Like in the middle of a fight. Or when a time bomb is about to go off.

I pay no attention to her. Not like she's saying anything I haven't heard many times already anyway. Too busy trying to use the super hearing to check on the safety of the ship's crew and passengers. Which is very hard to do when someone wearing robot gloves is repeatedly punching you in the head.

"Captain!" I hear the first mate frantically yell, as his ship tries to make its best impression of the Titanic. "We've evacuated all the passengers! We have to go right now!"

"The Captain's the last to abandon ship!" The Captain, an older man, desperately trying to maintain control of the doomed vessel, responds. "You know that! Now, go!"

The first mate reluctantly obeys.

I should be helping them. But instead I'm forced to waste precious time trading fists with yet another lunatic!

"Can't you see that what I am doing is ultimately for the greater good?!" the Doctor drones on. "So what if a few hundred people have to die, when all of humanity,...their very future rides on the success of my-!"

"OH, GOD! I DON'T CARE!" I snap at her.

It was a very un-supermanly thing to say, I know. But my reputation is far less important to me than saving lives. The doctor is stunned speechless by what I had said. There is a combination of shock and pain on her face that almost makes me want to apologize.

But there's no time. I turn, and like a bullet, I speed towards the fast sinking ship. I see the Captain in the liner's bridge. It's quickly filling with water! The Captain, his palms pressed against the glass, sees me, too.

I'm gonna make it!

Wait. What is he pointing at? He's shouting something. I use the super hearing.

"Behind you!" he screams.

A mechanical arm wraps itself around my throat like a boa constrictor, threatening to choke the very life out of me!

"How dare you belittle my life's work?!" the Doctor cries, tears streaming down her cheeks. "And for what? To save an old man who will probably die in the next few years anyway?!"

I grab hold of the limb, and try my best to break free of her iron grip, but to no avail.

I look back at the Captain, as if I could just will him to safety.

He looks back at me, smiles, salutes, and then he disappears into the water.

The image of my adoptive father being taken away by a twister flashes briefly in my mind.

A tormented roar escapes my lips! Fire erupts from my eyes, searing the metal arm restraining me. The material becomes so hot that it scorches my neck and both my hands, too. But ultimately, she yelps, and her hold slackens.

I break free. But I miscalculate. My intention is only to singe her arm so that she'd let go. I fail to realize that she has another missile housed in there. My heat vision accidentally ignites the warhead, and it explodes while still in the chamber!

She spoke very highly of this armor she designed. For her own safety, I hope she's right.

The Doctor plummets from the sky. Hitting the water at that speed and at this height will be like hitting hard cement.

But I manage to swoop down and catch her in time. No one else needs to die today. I lay her down at the beach, then do a quick scan of her vital signs. She's alive, but unconscious. Can't tell how bad her injuries are. Just because I have x-ray vision, doesn't mean I have a medical degree.

I turn and quickly fly back to where the ship sank. Maybe there's still time. Maybe I can still save him. Doubtful. But I've never been one to give up so easily.

I'm too late.

I couldn't save him.

Because I was beaten to it!

A medevac chopper hovers over the ocean. A coastguard hangs by a hoist underneath the helicopter, and he secures the Captain.

The old man, drenched and freezing, is none the worse for wear. He sees me, and smiles.

I return the salute from earlier.

It's true, I can't save everyone. Which is why I'm glad that I'm not the only one out there trying.

END


End file.
